MY FIRST RIDING EXPERIENCE

While serving in the Army, in 1969, I decided to buy a 1951 BMW motorcycle. The man who sold it to me gave me a 10 minute demo ride that would have left “Evel” Knievel stressed! The man selling the bike did not speak much English and I did not speak any German, so I became the owner and he smiled all the way to his bank.

Editors note: Representative picture only, not the actual motorcycle A gentleman who worked on the base where I was assigned, came to my office and inquired about the BMW “500” parked outside. He had the exact same bike only 3 years newer. Franz was a gentle sort, but was so particular that his bike had to be absolutely perfect in each and every respect. He suggested I bring it to his house about two blocks from the base entrance. Once there he told me that he was a self-employed part-time mechanic, in addition to working on the Army Base during the day. He gave me lots of pointers and suggested I ride slowly on some of the many roads leading from town. On my day off he suggested we ride for an hour and really see some pretty sights. I was delighted as he had become a good friend from our first meeting.

It seems that Franz was acquainted with the man who sold me the bike and he had no time for him. He shared some information about this man and said the bike was in his service station partially dismantled for a long time. When I saw it sitting there and inquired about it, he quickly assembled it and told me to come back the next day and it would be ready to purchase. Franz suggested we take a short ride before supper so I met him at his home and he led the way out of his yard. Since I was to follow him, I had to stop and close his gate before I could ride anywhere. Once on the roadway, I had to drive slowly through the town as it was a pleasant afternoon and lots of people along the side of the street. When I finally caught sight of Franz, he was nearly half a mile ahead of me and picking up speed as he drove around a pretty sharp curve bordering an old grave-yard with tons of large tombstones. In trying to catch up with him, I had not accounted for the really sharp curve going around that cemetary. I was going approximately 60 mph when I decided

I could not make the curve and stepped off the bike and let her have her way. All I can remember is sliding and rolling and tearing my army pants and shredding my new leather jacket. Finally I jumped to my feet and waived frantically until Franz saw me in his mirror. Much to my disbelief the bike made a perfect path around that turn and ended up in a meadow around the turn and upside down with the wheels still turning and the motor still running. I was still able to walk, but not very gracefully. Franz returned to the bike and me and assessed the situation. He alone got the bike shut off and upright. The handle bar was bent on the right side so that it touched the frame below it. I witnessed him straightening that handle bar to the point that I could steer the bike almost as well as before. I made a mental note to always stay within his good graces.

The pain from my injuries almost equaled the humiliation I felt when Franz told me that I was going to ride that wrecked BMW back through the town into his yard so he could attempt to fix it for me. He told me that if I did not ride it back, I would never ride again.

After about a month and many phone calls to his old friend who worked for BMW in Munich, he was able to completely rebuild that old 1951 bike to the original look when it was new. He got the last 1951 front fender that the factory had. I was thrilled when he got it all finished. He also did some work on the motor and mumbled several German phrases about how that previous owner put things in the motor backward and upside down. He grew to almost despise that fellow for what he had done to my bike. We enjoyed several good rides after the bike was right and my body was healed and my wardrobe was renewed. Perhaps, if you enjoyed this memory I will continue and share some other experiences that were a lot more positive. Just Jim

Jim currently owns this 1983 R80ST. He still rides occasionally.